March Music Madness - Sweet 16, Pt. 2

Well, it would seem that Duke had Mexican food and half a bottle of exlax before shitting all over the bed last night. It's always fun to see a team you follow the whole season get to the point, in a win-or-go-home game, where they aren't even trying anymore. Hopefully Henderson comes back so we can see more 1-for-14 shooting nights. At least Memphis lost so I have no chance of winning my bracket. Instead, I'm going to focus all of my remaining "March madness" energy on this tournament (and, of course, rooting against UConn and UNC).

(1) Kanye West vs. (13) The Cool Kids
Winner: (1) Kanye West
I hate seeing The Cool Kids go down to another hip-hop artist. Although this was a challenging decision, when two artists have similarly impressive current outputs, you have to look at the history. And The Cool Kids are just... kids. Kanye is on his fourth album, and while he's certainly not universally loved, his music AND his personality have sparked discussion, and his contributions to the current climate in rap are far-reaching and notable. Some have trouble getting past Kanye's public persona: he's conceited and whiny and obviously trying to be a trend-setter (which is horribly uncool). But I'd maintain that, while those things are definitely important in how one approaches an artist's music, it shouldn't be the primary metric for judgment. So hate on Kanye (honestly, he deserves it), but don't hate on his music. He's created catchy hooks and infectious beats for four albums while developing a strong lyrical voice (both natural and Auto-tuned).


(2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. (6) The Decemberists
Winner: (6) The Decemberists
I knew it'd come to this. Yeah Yeah Yeah's It's Blitz! is sooo good, but so is The Decemberists' Hazards of Love. And they've both come out at almost the exact same time. I'm not the best decision-maker in the world, so when something like this comes across my plate, I just make a quick gut-decision and move on. When I looked at the two names, I stayed on The Decemberists longer... so I picked them. Maybe it's because they've been making records for longer and I've developed an appreciation of their sound. Maybe I subconciously love Victorian-style tales of mariners and ships gone astray. Maybe I think Colin Meloy is a trip to watch live (he is) and I can't imagine a goofier guy going crazier on stage. There are so many things about Yeah Yeah Yeahs that make me want them to advance, but as so often happens, personal feelings trump objectivity. I suck at real criticism.


(1) TV on the Radio vs. (5) Bon Iver
Winner: (1) TV on the Radio
Almost positively the most difficult decision to make. And I just realized that at this point, it really isn't about how good a band is... it's the visceral reaction that musician's work elicits. Which makes this decision even harder. Because if it was about musicality, TVOTR is a no-brainer; as much as I like Bon Iver, he's not doing anything that secial with his guitar. But For Emma, Forever Ago and his most recent release, Blood Bank, stir-up raw emotion. I'm not sure what production method he uses, but Justin Vernon (whose voice is actually eerily similar to Tunde Adebimpe's, of TVOTR) has a way of sounding like he's in more than one place. While he probably just recorded the lyrics twice, it has a sort of ominous, all-encompassing effect. You feel surrounded by his accentuated punches of quick crescendo and decrescendo. His voice is truly an instrument, and "Woods" just may be the new "Hide and Seek." But despite all that, TVOTR is better. Significantly better.


(7) Antony and the Johnsons vs. (11) Joanna Newsom
Winner: (7) Antony and the Johnsons
Given that Antony just released The Crying Light and Ms. Newsom, although in the process of recording an album, hasn't put anything out recently, this was a fairly easy decision. Going back and listening to Newsom's progression as a vocalist is striking: her earliest albums are almost unlistenable because of her sound... almost like a scared child. Her deftness at the harp hasn't dropped off at all, but she's developed a warmer, deeper, and MUCH smoother voice, to the point where you have to question whether you're even listening to the same woman from The Milk-Eyed Mender to her most recent EP with the Ys Street Band (note: awesome name). But Antony's voice is his greatest strength, and he surrounds it with beautiful arrangements that generally stay out of the way. I'm not sure he can compete with the density of Newsom's lyrical indulgences, but Antony's songwriting abilities are impressive and will be dissected in more depth in the next round. For now, he advances on the strength and consistency of his current output.

March Music Madness - Sweet 16, Pt. 1

Oh man oh man oh man... Sweet 16, baby! GSATW is totally amped up for the real NCAA tournament action tonight. Hopefully those Blue Devils can pull out the win against Villanova. It's eerie how similar our March Music Madness parallels the actual tournament: with the exception of a few teams, the majority of the Sweet 16 were expected to be here. We have four match-ups today and four tomorrow to determine the Elite 8, and by Monday morning... the Final 4 will be set. And remember, our brackets are a little different from the actual bracket because of differences in seeding. Now, on to our picks.

(1) Animal Collective vs. (4) Franz Ferdinand
Winner: (1) Animal Collective
As much as I enjoy Frazn Ferdinand, I think even they would feel lucky to be in the Round of 16. Animal Collective, on the other hand, is the UNC of this tournament. Wildly heralded at the beginning of the year as having the best product, they've both followed through with impressive form. But because of that, there's a lot of hatred pointed towards both groups. I hate that UNC gets a ridiculous amount of media coverage (to the point where Ty Lawson's big toe was the most important story of the first rounds of the tourney). Animal Collective has garnered massive (and deserved) amounts of praise for Merriweather Post Pavilion, but the talk leading up to the album's release generated more buzz for AC than many bands ever receive . I hate that UNC was speculated to go undefeated (HA... they didn't!) and run the table through March, and I can imagine that others feel similarly about MPP being dubbed the Album of the Year in January. But more than anything, I hate Tyler Hansborough's stupid ugly face... so at least you can't complain about Animal Collective for that. Oh wait...


(2) Lil' Wayne vs. (6) The National
Winner: (2) Lil' Wayne
I'm not sure what else I can possibly say about Lil' Wayne that hasn't been said already. Except that I'm worried that 2007-2008 is as good as it'll ever get. When Da Drought 3 mixtape was released, and I heard it for the first time, I was shocked. It was furious and fast and meticulous and thoughful and FUNNY. I can't remember the last time I wanted to hear every word and understand how every syllable fit with the one next to it, but that's how a mixtape made me feel. A mixtape. So when Tha Carter III finally came out, I was a little worried. By that time, "Lollipop" had already gone through the cycle of "don't like it/this is catchy/man, they're still playing this?/I'm going to kill someone if I hear that song again," and I was worried that too much of the album would be an experiment with the auto-tuner. But after just one listen, it was easy to forgive Wayne's indulgences... because really, those indulgences are what make him so unique. Outside of a select few (Outkast, Ghostface Killah, Kanye, and a couple others), rappers don't go outside the box. There's a tried-and-true formula, and what separates you from the next guy is your ability to turn a phrase (or the ability of a producer to make a beat). The tracks on Tha Carter III run the gamut: from asinine to heartfelt, from straight swagger to playful. It may be a little long, and yes, some of the fat should've been trimmed, but what you get is something better. No, it's not perfect, but nothing you'll hear is quite like it. And as Dwayne Carter dabbles in guitars and collaborations with T-Pain, it seems less and less likely that we'll every get anything like that from him again.


(1) Fleet Foxes vs. (4) Beirut
Winner: (4) Beirut
One of the hardest decisions I've had to make in a while. So that should tell you the level of responsibility I have at the moment. As Charlie said to Dennis before besting him in a dance competition on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, "The cream always rises to the top. And you're about to see the white hot cream of an 8th grade boy." And while that quote may be disturbing on a number of levels (whether you get the reference or not), what we should take away from it is that, by the Sweet 16, the level of talent is no longer diluted. I enjoy listening to Fleet Foxes... their sound is airy and light, and their harmonies are tight. But I love listening to Beirut. I've already dedicated multiple posts to them, so I'm having trouble thinking of something novel to say. So I won't. Yet...


(7) M. Ward vs. (11) M.I.A.
Winner: (11) M.I.A.
How did we get here? I'm starting to question some of my earlier decisions, because I'm not sure either M. Ward or M.I.A. are Elite 8-worthy in my eyes. But for the same reasons that she's skated past her first two opponents, M.I.A. gets the nod again. We've talked repeatedly about the uniqueness of her sound, and her recent commercial successes with "Paper Planes" and "O Saya," the Academy Award nominated song from Slumdog Millionaire. But we haven't really talked about her use of music as a vehicle for politics, which, whether you agree with them or not, is something that very few musicians have the guts to do. It's even rarer for a politically charged album like Kala to be as critically accepted musically as it is. And so with all of her world-beating success, everyone is looking to get a piece of Ms. Arulpragasam. It'll be interesting to see what turns her career takes now that she has a son.